Clockworks



May 24, 1932. F. MART! 1,860,260

DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEM FOR CLOCKWORKS, METERS, AND THE LIKE Filed Feb. 19, 1951 Fig.1.

FFEQE FRITZ MARTI, OF LA CHAUX-DE-FONDS, SWITZERLAND UNETEZ DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEM FOR GLOGKEVORKS, METERS, AND THE LIKE Application filed February 19, 1931, Serial No. 51?,081, and in Switzerland February 28, 1930.

Many devices, provided with a clockwork her which is intended to control, for example, driving movement, such as electric or methe escapement and the balance wheel of a chanical unit meters, masterclocks, time clockwork. switch mechanisms, owing to their various To the pin (Z of the plate 0 is attached the functions, transmit to the balance wheel or outer xtremity of a spiral spring f, the in equivalent member of the clock movement a ner extremity of which is secured to the cyvery variable driving force. The device oplindrical bush 6 of the toothed wheel 6 The crates, therefore, very irregularly. plate 0 serves as a support for a lever g], The present invention relates to a device w ich has the pin (Z as its rotary axis and 10 for regulating the operation of a rotary memw ich is provided with a projection 1 b adaptber adapted to operate under the action of to cooperate like a detent with one or other adriving member in the movements of clocks, of several fixed stops 2', provided at equal indicators and the like which, when interdistances from one another around the plate posed, for example, in the gear transmitting c, the number which may vary. The lever the driving force to the escapement and to g has an opening m in which an eccentric the balance wheel of a clockwork, completely member a secured to the cylindrical bush e eliminates the above mentioned disadvantage, of the wheel 0, en ages as shown in Figure 1. rendering the operation quite regular. In the position shown in Figure 2, the no According to the present invention, the jecticn h abuts against one or the stops 2', thus driving member is operatively connected to preventing rotary movement of the plate 0 the driven member through the intermediary and therefore of the pinion 6, which is thus of an initially energized spring or its equivheld at rest or locked. In this position the a-lent and is arranged to be locked periodispiral spring f, which is already energized, cally by a detent device, while the energized serves to assure the normal operation of the 25 spring or its equivalent itself controls the escapement and of the balance wheel of the driven member, the latter being provided clockwork, the wheel 0 rotating under the with a device adapted to eh ect the release of action 0% the spiral spring 7' at a speed conthe detent device after a predetermined in trolled by the escapement. The eccentric terval of time in order to permit the driving member a rotates together w'th the wheel 6 member thus freed to advance, re-energizing imparting to the lever 9 an angular movethe spring or its equivalent, to anew locking merit in the direction of the arrow m (Figure position determined by the detent device, 2), and causing the projection it gradually after which control of the driven member to disengage from the stop 2' with which it is again left to the reenergized spring 1E5 is in contact. at a predetermined instant, 5 equivalent I the projection h escapes from the said stop The accompanylng mg mus/5mm y e, and the plate 0, under the action of the Wayffi example one embodlment of the driving force of the pinion b, rotates sud- Vent.10n' denly in the direction of the arrow 1 Figure l slde .VleW a m Due to this rotary movement, the lever g 49 Flgurelg 1S a Sectlonal View on me 1mg is aeain moved outwards and its projection U A-B of FIO'IIIB 1. i j

1 ,L h, pio ectin a aln over the edge of the plate F 'ure 3 1s a plan view oi the arrangement I i b v i 0 comes into contact. with and is locked bv illustrated in Figure 1. 1 D U dd 1 f Referring now to the drawings, the roi 1 9,, t tary spindle a carries the toothed pinion I) i he i P RQ 1S 95 which receives the driving force. The pinion enelfglzed as a the g f 01 W01 i; Z) is provided with a circular plate a secured Perlod b b mm the Same Process 13 to it and carrying an eccentric pin (Z. On repeated continually. the spindle a is freely mounted a toothed The end of the pin (Z enters a curved slot 0 50 wheel 6 constituting the rotary driven mem- 1n the wheel 0 in order to llmit the unwindto locksame periodically, anda releasi ing of the spiral spring when'there is no driving force.

By means of this device, the transmission of a regular driving force to the esca iement and the balance Wheel is obtained, i. e., that of the spiral spring f whatever the force acting on the pinion b, the surplus driving force being absorbed by contact with the stops W'hat I claim is 1. In a drive control system for clock- Works, meters and the like, the combination of a driving member, a driven member, intermedi ate tensioning means arranged to operatively connect the driving member to the driven member, a detent device to look periodically the driving -member, While the energized tensioning means control the driven member, said detent device comprising, on theone hand, a leveriassociatedto thedrivingmember and provided with projection and an opening, and on the other hand, ,a certain number of stops in alternatecooperation with said-projection of thedetent lever centric member secured toitheicnriven member and engaged in theopening ofythe detent-le ver, to release the detent lever after a predeterminedinterval of-time in orderito permit the driving member thus freed to advance, While reenergizing the tensioning meansgto a new locking position determined by cooperation of said .projecti'on of the detent lever with the next stop after which control of the driven r-memberiis again left to the reenergized tensioning ,means.

2. In a drive control system for C1OC1{- WOFkS, meters and the like, the'combination of a driving member, Ja-driven member, a tensioning spiral springiarrangedto operatively connect the driving member to vthe driven member, adetent'device tolockperiodically the driving member, while the energizedtensioningvspiral spring controls the driven member, saiddetent device comprising, on the one hand, a' lever associated to the driving member-and provided with a projection and an opening, and .on the other hand, a certainnumber of stops invalternate cooperation with said projection of the detentlever to lock same, periodically,- and av releasing eccentric member, secured to the dry en member and engaged in the opening or the detent lever, to release'the detent lever after predetermined interval of time in order to permitthe driving member thus "freed-- to advance, While reenergizing the tensioning spiral spring, to a new locking position c-etermined'by cooperation of said projection of the detent lever'with the next stop, atter which control of the driven member is again left to the 'reenergized t-ensioning spiral spring.

3. In a drive controlvsystem for-clock- Works, metersand the l1l8,xtl19-.COlHbilltllZlOll of a :dr1v1ng member, a (lIlVBIlI-TDQHlbQl, in-

;said projection'of the detent lever to my name this'lOth day plate carried by the driving member, a lever mountedion said plate and provided with a projection and an opening, and a certain number of stops in alternate cooperation with. lock same periodically, and a releasing eccentric member securedto the driven member and engaged in the opening of the detent lever,

to release the detent lever after a predetermiined interval oftime in order to permit the .driving member thus freed to advance,

whiletreenergizing the tens'ioning means, to

i a new "locking ,position determined by cooperation ofsaidprojection otthe detent lever w th the next stop, after which control of the driven memberiis again left to thereenergized tensioning, means.

In Witness whereof:Ihavehereunto signed of February, 1931. FRITZ MAR-TI. 

